Love and War
by Jacalyn Hyde
Summary: Two canon characters: you can choose their identities for yourself. “He” is a future Death Eater OR Order member, and the narrator is his young and determined, if naïve, lover. They exchange ‘I love you’s’, excuses, and desperate pleas. Review.


I sneak into his dorm room and find him alone there. He's pacing and he looks sad about something, but I know just how to cheer him up. I sneak up behind him, throw my arms around his neck and brush my lips affectionately over his stubbled cheek.

He whispers my name with some combination of nervousness and solemnity.

"I have something to tell you," I chirp flirtatiously. He smirks and easily removes my arms from their hold on his neck then spins me around and places his hands on my waist. I smirk.

The uncertainty is still obvious on his face but he attempts to mask it with a forced smile and a kiss on my forehead. "I have something to tell you too."

"Oh, really?" Maybe, I misread his expression: maybe it's nervousness not sadness. I have to hope so. Maybe he's planning to say the same thing I am. _Either way_… "Can I go first?"

He smiles at my excitement, like I'm the cutest, most precious thing in the world. "Sure."

I take a deep breath and force the words out before I have a chance to panic or stop myself: "I love you."

"Oh…" His fingers twitch uncomfortably and he looks like he can't decide if he would rather push me away or pull me even closer. Clearly, that's not what he thought I was going to say, nor what he was planning on saying to me.

We stare at each other and, when the silence persists for nearly thirty seconds, I frown. "Aren't you going to say it back?"

"I…" he trails off. My jaw drops in a ridiculous expression of disbelief. "Listen to me," he demands. "Let's go sit down somewhere, you should-"

"I'm not going anywhere until you say it," I growl.

"I _do_ love you," he concedes. "But…"

"No buts," I insist, grabbing one of his hands and kissing it with as much emphasis as possible.

He twists his hand out of my hold and grabs my wrist. He guides me over to his bed and I follow somewhat resentfully. We sit and I glare at him expectantly.

"We have to end this."

"What?" I think I might spontaneously burst into tears. "No! You can't-"

"_Listen_... I just said I loved you, remember? Well, it's true-"

I interrupt, "Then, _**why**_?"

"Listen to me," he repeats. "Breaking up is the best thing for us right now… _because_… because there's a war coming."

"So what?" I demand. _What the hell does it have to do with us?_

"I intend to fight in that war," he clarifies. "On the _right_ side. I don't want to put you in danger or have you worrying about me. It's better this way."

The explanation is ridiculously brief. I shake my head, considering his words for a few seconds and attempting to calm myself down before I finally voice my thoughts. "That's the dumbest thing you've ever said."

He looks taken aback. I seize both of his hands and squeeze them desperately with all the force I'm capable of.

"Do you really think that I'll stop loving you, stop worrying about you, just because you break off our relationship now? I won't. And if you really cared about me, you'd know-"

"I know. I'm doing this because I care. It might be incredibly selfish of me, but I'd rather have you safe and livid with me than loving and staying with me but putting your life at risk."

I roll my eyes. He insists on continuing his monologue. "You could have a life, a nice one, you could have kids someday-"

"So could you," I interject. "Fighting doesn't mean you're inevitably going to _die_!"

"It's a strong possibility."

"Then don't do it," I scream the obvious solution.

"I have to. Don't you understand? If I'm not willing to die for what I believe in then what _is_ worth dying for?"

"Don't die for anything! _Live_, you idiot! If you need a reason, then live _for_ _me_. You love me, don't you?"

"Aren't you listening to me? Of course, I do."

"Then stay with me!"

"I can't!"

"So you're choosing this war over me?"

"I'm doing it _for_ you! For our world, our future. I know you're just a kid now, it's hard to realize, but this is so much bigger than just us, it's-"

"_Kid_?" I object. "You're not that much older than me…" Setting that stupid little point aside, I sigh and continue. "You're not changing your mind?"

"No. I'm so sorry for hurting you like this. It's killing me too, but this _really_ is the best thing for us." He's talking in circles now and I really don't want to hear it.

"Shut up!" I shriek, taking a few seconds to calm down after that outburst. I pant and we stare at each other. I make a decision of my own: "Take me with you, then."

* * *

Reviewers please tell me who you think these characters are in addition to what you think. If you manage to guess who **I **was thinking of, I'll write a short giftfic for you with the pairing of your choice. Love.


End file.
